I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 23

When An Qing opened her eyes the next morning, she froze for a full half minute.

Why? Why was she sleeping in the same bed as Yu Tingbai?

That vibrant, lively face was right above her line of sight. With just a slight lift of her gaze, she could see the other’s sharp, elegant jawline.

Even more awkwardly, she was clinging to Yu Tingbai with both arms and legs, like a koala. The warm, delicate touch of skin felt intimate, making her face flush instantly.

Yet despite this, Yu Tingbai’s breathing remained even, sleeping soundly as if nothing was amiss. An Qing couldn’t fathom how she managed that.

Swallowing hard, An Qing carefully retracted her limbs. When she caught sight of the dark red marks on her arm, her eyes widened in shock once again.

What on earth had happened?

Baffled, she lifted her arm and examined the marks. The more she looked, the more they resembled bite marks.

Could it be, that the two of them last night.

An Qing racked her brain, but aside from remembering that she had answered a lot of questions, everything else seemed veiled in a hazy mist, impossible to recall clearly.

Just then, the person beside her stirred and slowly woke up.

An Qing clutched her chest, feeling as if her heart might give out. She watched helplessly as those beautiful eyes gradually opened, shifting from shock to confusion, then to contemplation.

She cautiously shifted away, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket, and feigned calm as she greeted, “Morning.”

Yu Tingbai looked at the trembling An Qing, but her mind was elsewhere.

She was someone who carried her worries heavily, suffering from mild insomnia. Even when she did sleep, it was poor quality, and she always woke up early.

Yesterday, after letting An Qing fuss for a long time and still clinging to her in the end, she had inexplicably grown drowsy and slept deeply.

How strange.

Seeing that Yu Tingbai wasn’t speaking, An Qing cautiously shifted a little further away and asked in a grave tone, “Did something happen last night?”

While Yu Tingbai had been lost in thought, An Qing had been doing the same, finally retrieving a fragment of memory from the recesses of her mind.

There was warm, orange lighting, glossy red lips, and the soft body of a girl. She remembered closing her eyes slightly, holding tightly onto the person beside her, unwilling to let go.

She had been muttering something, and then a familiar, pleasant female voice sounded in her ear.

“Put some strength into it. Didn’t you eat your fill?”

The tone was firm, and it seemed to have been repeated several times.

And her own reply had probably been: “No, I can’t take it anymore.”

What kind of terrible conversation was that?! It was way too intense!

Had she forced herself on Yu Tingbai?

Just as Yu Tingbai was about to speak, An Qing quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of irresponsible person. I’ll take responsibility. I’ll hand over my salary card, put your name on the property deed.”

As long as you let me survive, I’ll do anything.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yu Tingbai’s face once again took on the expression of someone looking at an idiot. She glanced sideways at An Qing and coolly uttered four words.

“Nothing happened.”

An Qing: “Really? I don’t believe it! I clearly heard you say to me say.”

Her face grew even redder. She extended her arm with the two bite marks, frantically hinting, trying to jog Yu Tingbai’s memory about the previous night.

Yu Tingbai let out a light laugh, pulled out her phone, and opened a recording.

She dragged the progress bar to a specific point in time.

The room immediately echoed with An Qing’s drowsy murmurs.

“No way, I want to sleep hugging you!”

Then came Yu Tingbai’s calm refusal.

“Not happening.”

“Then I’ll bite myself to death!”

“Put some effort into it, didn’t you eat enough?”

What kind of nonsense was this?!

Since when did her drunken behavior become so terrible? She even acted like a rogue.

An Qing, overwhelmed with shame and anger, reached out to snatch the phone, wanting to delete this embarrassing memory.

Yu Tingbai dodged sideways, but her finger accidentally brushed the screen, dragging the progress bar forward a few seconds.

After a brief silence, An Qing’s fragmented voice emerged.

“Liking you… of course, of course it’s true.”

That afternoon, in the meeting room.

The dark brown tabletop was spotless, and the black leather chairs reflected a faint, bright sheen, giving off a professional and serious vibe.

The girls sat in a row before the table, quietly waiting for their manager’s arrival.

That woman Yu Tingbai was truly cunning she actually took advantage of her drunken state to ask such a question! And even recorded it!

An Qing rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Had she given something away recently? Did it arouse the other’s suspicion?

Thankfully, her survival instincts were sharp enough, she answered perfectly and narrowly escaped disaster.

Moreover, judging by Yu Tingbai’s tone, it seemed her life had been extended for another month.

Truly something to celebrate.

To An Qing’s left was Shen Siqi, to her right was Yu Tingbai, and further right were Yi Zhuo and Wen Ling.

For some reason, even with someone sitting between them, An Qing could sense something odd about the atmosphere between Yi Zhuo and Wen Ling today. Especially Yi Zhuo, when Wen Ling was about to sit down, she quickly stepped forward and pulled out the chair for her.

Were they just friends? Was it necessary to be so polite? Or was this how close friends acted?

Just as An Qing was considering whether she should pull out a chair for Yu Tingbai in the future, she heard the person beside her let out a meaningful “Oh”.

She looked up and saw Yu Tingbai watching Yi Zhuo and Wen Ling with keen interest, a playful smile lighting up her vibrant face, as if she had stumbled upon something amusing.

An Qing exchanged a glance with Shen Siqi, then chimed in with her own “Oh”.

Even though she had no idea what was going on, this kind of situation made it impossible not to join in. Truly, the essence of human nature was to mimic others.

A vein throbbed on Yi Zhuo’s forehead. “What are you two ‘oh’-ing about?”

Shen Siqi pointed at Yu Tingbai and tattled, “You’re biased! She started it first!”

Yi Zhuo glanced at Yu Tingbai but said nothing.

Although Yu Tingbai always wore a smile, she exuded an aura of someone not to be trifled with. Besides, the two of them weren’t close yet, so it was better to remain somewhat polite.

Then she heard Yu Tingbai ask Wen Ling, “What did you two do last night?”

Yi Zhuo’s heart leaped into her throat.

She had no experience handling such sudden situations, but she thought last night was just an accident—at most, it was a physical impulse. Wen Ling wasn’t someone without boundaries, and she had acted completely indifferent today. Surely she wouldn’t…

Wen Ling said, “We slept.”

Yi Zhuo: !!!

An Qing: !!!

Wen Ling, are you bad at language? Do you have any idea how suggestive that answer sounds?!

But Wen Ling’s tone and expression remained perfectly calm, as if it were all just everyone’s wild imagination.

Yu Tingbai smiled faintly, casually reaching up to touch a spot on her own neck as she asked Wen Ling, “What happened here?”

“Hmm?” Wen Ling’s eyes flickered slightly, and she instinctively reached up to touch the same spot. “Probably a mosquito bite.”

Yu Tingbai said, “No wonder.”

Yi Zhuo, standing nearby, felt like she was suffocating.

No wonder what? There was absolutely nothing on Wen Ling’s neck!

Yu Tingbai was truly terrifying!

At that moment, Shen Siqi curiously leaned in to look. “What is it? What is it? I don’t see anything there.”

Wen Ling, realizing something was off, paused for a moment before smiling at Yu Tingbai. She seemed completely unaware of the awkwardness, even finding it somewhat amusing.

What in the world was going on?

An Qing felt her brain was about to short-circuit. Fortunately, the conference room door swung open just then, and a woman with short hair, dressed in a professional suit, walked in, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Princess is a limited-time group and will disband one year after its formation. I know most of you here aren’t signed to agencies and are used to your freedom, but since you’ve decided to sign this contract, please adhere to the company’s requirements for work during this one-year period…”

The manager of Princess was named Ye Ming, a 32-year-old mature and capable woman with short hair. With years of experience in the industry, she had a wealth of professional knowledge. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, her hair impeccably styled, she looked very serious.

Ye Ming went on to emphasize and explain several key points in the contract, candidly stating that the company needed them to create as much value as possible during the year. In addition to releasing an album, they would also need to participate in several popular variety shows.

After everyone confirmed there were no issues, they completed the signing process one by one. Ye Ming collected the five contracts and began her summary.

“Honestly, the company’s policies are relatively relaxed and humane compared to others in the industry. There aren’t any messy rules… right, Siqi? Not as strict as your previous company, is it?”

She had briefly reviewed the members’ profiles that morning and knew that only Shen Siqi had previously been signed to a small agency, which was why she specifically asked her. Smaller companies often had less formal management and systems, and sometimes even exploitative practices.

By asking Shen Siqi this, she was also trying to earn some goodwill for the company.

“Huh?” Shen Siqi was taken aback for a moment before honestly replying, “That was my dad’s company. No one really managed me.”

Ye Ming was momentarily stunned. “Your dad?”

Shen Siqi looked a bit embarrassed. “He’s not in this industry. He started the company for me.”

Yi Zhuo couldn’t hold back either and asked, “What does your dad do?”

They had heard that Shen Siqi came from a wealthy family, but no one knew exactly what her family did.

Shen Siqi said, “We own a mine, Why are you all looking at me like that?”

The others thought: So she’s the silly daughter of a wealthy family!

Ye Ming, having seen her fair share of surprises, quickly and forcefully changed the subject. “According to the rules of the talent show, Yu Tingbai ranked first and is the center of the group. Now, we still need to select a team leader.”

She looked over the group of girls with their distinct styles and asked, “Is anyone interested?”

An Qing didn’t move. She had no intention of becoming the team leader.

Being the team leader does come with perks like extra publicity and a higher profile in official announcements, But having only been in this world for about a month, she hadn’t fully grasped everything yet and couldn’t spare the extra energy.

Wen Ling, with her calm demeanor and sharp mind, had been groomed by her family since childhood. Her interviews were always articulate and thoughtful, making her an excellent candidate for team leader.

Yi Zhuo spoke up, “Wen Ling is a good fit.”

After saying this, she cast a faint glance in An Qing’s direction.

An Qing suddenly felt a strange sense of hostility.

Then it hit her.

In the original story, An Qing was highly ambitious, unwilling to put in effort yet eager to claim all the benefits. She wouldn’t let go of any opportunity not even the temporary team leader role during the survival show, let alone the official team leader position now.

So she immediately parroted, “Wen Ling is a good fit.”

Yi Zhuo sneered, “Are you saying Wen Ling isn’t suitable, and you are Wait, what did you just say?”

Yu Tingbai watched Yi Zhuo’s expression with a smile, then glanced at An Qing and repeated, “She said Wen Ling is a good fit.”

An Qing keenly detected a hint of schadenfreude in her eyes.

Shen Siqi chimed in, “I agree too.”

Wen Ling said, “Alright, I’ll do it.”

The whole process took less than five minutes, leaving Ye Ming quite surprised especially when she saw An Qing didn’t voice any opposition. She could barely control the expression on her face.

Staff from the company who had worked on the survival show had complained to her numerous times about An Qing’s outrageous behavior. Ye Ming had expected a fierce battle over the team leader position and had prepared to mediate, but she didn’t even get a chance to speak!

Hesitating for a moment, she double-checked, “So it’s settled then?”

Everyone nodded in unison.

Ye Ming was full of questions, but thinking about the next agenda item, she temporarily set her doubts aside.

She said, “In that case, let’s move on to today’s main event.”

Shen Siqi asked curiously, “What is it?”

Ye Ming smiled.

“CP marketing.”

As soon as Ye Ming finished speaking, everyone’s expressions shifted slightly.

After getting their phones back, they had skimmed through entertainment news related to themselves. Currently, the most popular pairings in the group were Yu Tingbai and Wen Ling’s “White Wind Chimes,” and Yu Tingbai and An Qing’s “After the Rain.”

Wen Ling and Yi Zhuo’s “Ice and Fire” pairing also had a small fanbase, but due to Yi Zhuo’s deliberate avoidance, their on-screen interactions were limited, so it hadn’t gained much traction.

Shen Siqi was the first to ask, “Who am I paired with? I’m a great actress!”

Ye Ming replied, “You’re not involved.”

Shen Siqi: ???

She pressed, unwilling to give up, “Why not?”

Ye Ming gave her a complicated look and explained, “Some people just don’t have natural chemistry. Did you know that in all the CP fan-edits, you’re usually cast as their child?”

Shen Siqi:

An Qing tuned out Shen Siqi’s lament and nervously waited for Ye Ming to announce the specifics.

Naturally, she wanted to be paired with Yu Tingbai. The more they interacted, as long as she behaved well and didn’t mess things up, she was sure to deepen their bond.

But with Wen Ling around, she felt a bit uneasy. Wen Ling and Yu Tingbai had gotten close early in the program. Although they hadn’t interacted much later on since they weren’t in the same group, the two still held mutual admiration for each other.

Even though she felt her relationship with Yu Tingbai had improved recently, she had no idea who the other party actually wanted to pair up with for the CP promotion.

Ye Ming continued, “Yi Zhuo has a lot of girlfriend-type fans, so promoting a CP might backfire. Although the pairing between Wen Ling and Yi Zhuo has gained some popularity, to be cautious, the company has decided not to arrange it for now.”

Yi Zhuo’s appearance was both striking and cool, with a hint of nonchalance. Her impulsive personality easily attracted possessive and extreme fans, making her the one with the most girlfriend-type fans and toxic stans among the group.

Early in the audition program, any girl who got close to Yi Zhuo was torn apart by fans. It wasn’t until Yi Zhuo stepped in multiple times to mediate and restructured her fan support group twice that things gradually calmed down.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble for others, Yi Zhuo simply requested the program team to reduce the airtime of her interactions with others, even if it meant sacrificing some of her own popularity. She was also careful never to show closeness to anyone on camera.

Yi Zhuo frowned, as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated for a few seconds and ultimately stayed silent.

Ye Ming said, “As for the well-known pairings ‘White Wind Chimes’ and ‘After the Rain, the Sky Clears,’ both are doing quite well.”

Finally, it was her turn!

An Qing’s heart leaped into her throat. She glanced nervously at Yu Tingbai beside her, whose expression remained completely calm, as if she didn’t care about the outcome at all.

“It’s hard to choose, so let’s just mix the three of you into a CP stew. Tingbai, you’ll have to work a bit harder and take care of both sides.”

Yu Tingbai smiled. “Understood.”

An Qing was dumbfounded.

She felt a bit sad about suddenly having to compete with others for her fiancée, but looking on the bright side, at least her CP with Yu Tingbai hadn’t been outright rejected. There would still be plenty of opportunities to interact.

So she cheered up again.

Just then, she suddenly felt a faint gaze from beside her.

An Qing turned her head and, across Yu Tingbai and Yi Zhuo, met Wen Ling’s thoughtful eyes.

Was this a declaration of war?

She immediately became alert, only to hear Ye Ming add another comment.

“Since it’s a CP stew, An Qing and Wen Ling could give it a try too. Something like a ‘Clearing Zero’ CP might work well. Who knows, it might blow up these things are hard to predict.”

Now two more pairs of eyes fell on her.

One came from Yi Zhuo, who seemed to be in a bad mood. Her gaze held a hidden warning, sharp as a blade, gliding across An Qing’s face.

The other came from Yu Tingbai, whose eyes darkened slightly, her thin lips pressed together, her entire aura noticeably low.

An Qing: “…”

What’s going on?

It’s a three-person CP, why am I the only one being targeted?